Eshal Ali

1st period
ADHD on the Rise in the U.S.
September 7, 2018
Summary: This article notes the recent rise in the cases of ADHD in the U.S; the number has
doubled in the last generation. ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, causes an
inability to focus and hyperactivity in children. The rate has increased to now over 10 percent of
children in the United States. Experts agree that this rise can be attributed to a number of
reasons, including increased awareness and willingness to diagnose children and also a wider
criteria. There is now more information readily available on ADHD, meaning that more parents
are educated on the topic and the stigma around diagnosis has decreased. The maximum age to
diagnose has also changed from 7 to 12, making more diagnoses possible. Because of these
changes, both doctors and parents now have a better ability to examine children and tackle the
problem. This has led to a wider range for diagnosis.

Project Topic Connection: My project is about ADHD diagnosis and treatment, making this a
very topical article. I hoped to do research on the techniques for diagnosis, so this article is
definitely a good stepping stone for that. The author consults two different doctors- a pediatrician
and pediatric psychiatrist. The piece about why the diagnosis has increased in recent years is
relevant to my project because I want to cover the process and this gives good insight into how
this process has recently changed. I also think the citations given by the doctors will be useful in
doing my research for the final presentation. For my project, I will be presenting different
treatment methods as well. I can use the different sources given in the article and also research
done by the sources for this section. Overall, this article gives me a good foundation for further
research on the topic.

Personal Response: Reading this article was shocking due to the dramatic increase in ADHD
diagnosis. The statistic of more than 10 percent of children having ADHD was particularly
unexpected. Mentoring in the pediatric clinic, we see many patients with ADHD, but I never
would have expected such a high rate. I was also interested by the causes of ADHD as I was
previously unaware that it can be caused by the mother’s behavior while pregnant. This article
taught me a lot about the topic and made me curious about causes, diagnosis, and treatment to a
greater degree than before. I hope that through my project this semester, I can find information
that connects all these areas that I want to learn more about. I found the article very interesting
because of all the new information it presented. I will continue my research and shape it to be
more specific to my project.

George, Cindy. “ADHD on the Rise in the U.S.” TMC News, Texas Medical Center, 7 Sept.

2018, www.tmc.edu/news/2018/09/adhd-on-the-rise-in-the-u-s/.